MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Peru does not discard The Hague over Chile maritime border issue

Following the thwarted nationalist march that took place close to the border between Chile and Peru last week, Peruvian President Alan García gave the first clear signal this weekend that Peru will take the long-standing maritime border issue to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

On Thursday morning, before the controversial march that was organized by nationalists to highlight the maritime border issue with Chile, President Michelle Bachelet spoke for the first time about the matter. "Chile has maintained its position throughout history, so if Peru decides to go to the international justice courts, then that's up to them," said Bachelet. "We will continue to work on a future agenda. We have a lot more to gain if we cooperate and look at areas of common interest than if we remain stuck in past agendas." Only hours after Bachelet's words, Peru's president spoke from Palacio Pizarro, the seat of the government in Lima. "Following President Bachelet's friendly declaration, the doors have been opened for us to go to The Hague," said Garciá. The matter in question is a dispute over the maritime border between Peru and Chile. Peru maintains that the border has never been properly defined, but Chile insists that a pair of treaties that were signed in 1952 and 1954 are legally binding. Authorities in Chile appear to be unconcerned that the issue may be taken to The Hague, as it is believed that a ruling would favor Chile's position. The issue was brought up by former Peruvian president Alejandro Toledo in 2005, but was put to one side when Alan García came to power and bilateral relations began to improve. Still, Bachelet's words have been interpreted as an end to bilateral dialogue. "Under the current circumstances, the only option for the government is to resolve this issue in The Hague," said Rolando Sousa, who is to preside over a commission on Monday to discuss the border issue in Peru's Congress. With relations between Chile and Peru becoming increasingly strained, both governments worked last month to nip further controversy in the bud by asking the Chilean TVN television network to postpone its documentary "Epopeya" (Epic), which depicts events surrounding the War of the Pacific when Chile gained the chunk of land that now borders Peru. It was announced this weekend that Epopeya will now be screened in May, during a primetime spot. There was some concern that the documentary will have been altered due to recent events, but TVN director Fernando Vidal said that that was not the case. "The documentary will not be one second longer or shorter than was originally planned," said Vidal. The Santiago Times